Avatar Day: The 16 min account scenes

There’s even a day named after the film, "Avatar" called “Avatar Day.” It was the day that James allowed audiences to screen 16 minutes of the film in select theaters across the US on August 21st 2009 for free. One of those theaters included our very own, Regal Mall of Georgia I-Max cinema at 6:30 pm on the same day. The screening featured a brief introduction of the film by the director, James Cameron, and brief scenes from the film that explains the story arc, all displayed in 3-D glory. If you’ve missed the screening you can catch up with it scene by scene by reading Atlanta’s movie examiner’s account below. Please tell me what you think of the James' vision through your comments.

Avatar 16 mins. Preview Scene By Scene:

First scene: Jake Sully, played by actor Sam Worthington, enters a military briefing in his wheelchair. The Major briefs his soldiers about a mission that includes keeping each other alive with minimal chances. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) begins to narrate his feelings on reporting for duty.

A new scene starts with Jake is being briefed in a high tech lab on a program called Avatar which combines human DNA an alien race, the Na'vi. A mental connection is made through the machine to the genetically created Na’vi being. As shown in the trailer Jake is introduced to an Avatar being that resembles him. Jake says to a lab technician, "It looks like him." "It looks like you," the lab technician responds, "This is your Avatar now, Jake."

In the next scene, Dr. Grace Augustine, played by Sigourney Weaver, is playfully making jokes of Jake being a soldier in wheelchair as Jake prepares himself to be scanned by an MRI look alike machine they call the Avatar copier. Jake also jokes with Grace’s ability as a Doctor whom wasn’t able to save his ability to walk.

After the Avatar computer is activated, a Dr. No theme tunneling graphic simulates the journey of Jake’s consciousness into the synaptic nerve of a genetic hybrid Na’vi being. As Jake wakes from his tunneling sleep, he’s on a table examining his Na'vi body. Beyond looking at his new form, he becomes most intrigued by his new legs and attempts to stand with much enthusiasm despite the doctors’ protests. The Doctors instruct the new Jake to return, but he instead escapes the lab knocking things over with his tail.

Jake then finds himself with Grace in a jungle on a planet called Pandora accompanied with soldiers from the same briefing room from the beginning scene. They're all Na'vi, but dressed in battle dressed uniforms. Jake and his group explores the new jungle and examine the sea-like plants that retract to small balls upon Jake’s touch. Jake’s excitedly touches a group of the same plants all in one area until they retract to reveal gigantic rhino-like creature with the nose of a hammerhead shark hiding behind the plants.

The animal charges them and Grace shouts “Don’t shoot it!” Jake stares it down, and miraculously makes a connection with the animal as it ceases it’s charge. Then a larger four-legged creature approaches and chases Jake through the jungle. Jake takes refuge beneath a gigantic tree and shoots at the creature. After realizing that the weapons have little to no effect, Jake retreats from the cover of the tree, but the creature grabs him by his backpack, but our hero slips out from the creatures grasp.

A female Pandora Na’vi native sitting in a tree, played by Zoe Saldana, begins to charge an arrow across her bow to kill the creature and save Jake. She refrains from releasing the arrow when a butterfly like insect lands on the arrow blade. She allows the threatening creature to loose interest in Jake’s backpack and the creature drifts away. This apparently illustrates that the Na’vi will revolt in defense but are generally peaceful.

In the next scene the same female Na’vi, called Neytiri, and Jake are in a gigantic fluorescent jungle with mushrooms that illuminate upon Jake’s touch.

Along Jake’s jungle tour with Neytiri, this female Na’vi dressed in jungle garbs, has to save Jake once again from wolf-like lizards. Upon Jake’s attempts to thank her in broken English assuming that she can’t understand him. She surprisingly responds with proper English explaining that he’s like a child and that it's tragic for creatures to die for his ignorance. He asks why she saved him and she tells him that it's because his heart is strong and that he has no fear.

In the final scene of the 16 min preview screening, Jake has become a member of a Na'vi tribe. His military fatigues are replaced with jungle-loincloths. The disapproving tribe leader instructs Jake to go first and then points to a rock path underneath a waterfall. Jake’s follows this path to journey through his tribe’s right of passage ritual. Along this path Jake arouse from a mountaintop filled with dragon like creatures. Upon approaching one of the larger creatures Jake props his sling and provokes the creature to challenge him. He fights the animal and forces it to the ground with his sling clinging to its face. The creature settles as Jake fashions the sling into a harness through the creature's mouth. Jake mounts the creature’s back and rides it off the edge of a nearby cliff into flight over Pandora’s lush vistas.

Avatar Film Trailer

Film Synopsis

James Cameroon’s “Avatar” meaning “second life,” features an eco-parable of an ex-Marine’s mind genetically merged through a mental connection with the artificial creation of an alien body replica of the Na'vi. The result, through a program called “Avatar,” created a second life being who must survive his journey to come full circle and lead his indigenous people through an able epic battle between two worlds.

Share this article

Comments

Fisher5 years ago

Hey Antonio,
you're so lucky to seek a peak at it. I've tried my self to get a ticket for Avatar day. But I wasn't so lucky, as usual. So thanks for writing about the preview. Just from what you wrote, I think Avatar is gonna be sweeeeet.

Movie buffs like me shouldn't have missed this sneak peak. But I did. Awh well, that's why it's good thaat Antonio did. Thanx man. i atleast know now what went down in the preview. Seems to look like is going to be great.

This preview looks promising. I'm actually interested in seeing the film now. I just hope that the rest of the film focuses on the story, instead of just keeping us in awe. I was barely impressed with Star wars episode 1. I had my hopes up and then Lucus disappointed me. So James Cameron better not let me down.

Blessed with the passionate talent of storytelling since childhood, Antonio Gilbert expresses his love for film by creating commercials, documentaries, music videos and films that inspire audiences to lead their heart rather than follow it. Email him here.